Archangel's Necklace
by inthenorth
Summary: AU set in Supernatural world. Kaius lives in an angel city in the Heaven realm, which is destroyed after the shadow demon Ragnarok attacks. He is then sent to Earth after promising his dying friend he would protect a hunter named Serenity. Both she and Kaius struggle against the forces of good and evil, and try to resolve their feelings for each other.


Kaius was leaning against the east wall, his eyes closed. He stood before the beautiful morning sky, the clouds illuminated by the early sunlight. The light shone off his noble face and bright hair, turning his wings a brilliant white while casting shadows under his eyes. If there had been anyone around to see it they would have seen him deep in thought contemplating the new day. Armor decorated his chest; he carried a white breast plate with an intricate golden design snaking across in every direction. The castle stood tall around him, everything changing color with the sky, leaving the world beneath it humming with fiery color.

His eyes had become a bright color, almost liquid and transparent in the light but still piercing, shining with life and exaltation. The sound of the wind blowing across the fields slowly disappeared, the feel of the warm touch of the sun was cut off, and all his thoughts remained to nothing. Kaius closed his eyes and tilted his head back, listening. He could hear people's thoughts like quiet whispers in the back of his mind. They were hushed and peaceful. He reached out further and felt the sunlight on him and on the land and trees as their leaves soaked up the light. He could feel the water that hung off of the tree, dripping off from its branches.

His mouth twitched, and suddenly his skin began glowing; a faint golden light that surrounded him. He felt connected one, whole, and peaceful, as if he belonged. He was part of this space and time, connected to the world that was throbbing with life from its deepest roots.

Suddenly, he heard the whoosh of air filling wings as another angel dropped from the sky. He looked up and his eyes met with those of his friend Damien, his wings tucked back behind him, his light armor clinging to his limbs. He grinned, immediately recognizing the excitement in his friend's eyes,. The ability to fly never grew boring even to the most experienced. Damien's feet made a slight noise as his feet hit the ground and he walked over to him, the same slouch in his shoulders that he always had.

"Salve, Damien, bene te habes hodie?" Kaius greeted. Damien didn't answer. He looked at his friend and the words he conveyed needed not be spoken. Kaius' hand slipped unconsciously to the hilt of his sword, palm pressing against it. He could feel it now. The time had come.

"What has happened?" Kaius asked, immediately pushing out his awareness in search of conflict. Kaius had a special power that allowed him to reach out with his consciousness and reveal to his mind any sort of danger. This particular skill was helpful in battle, and Damien's posture conveyed the message that a battle was impending. When he turned to look at Damien his eyes were wide and comprehending, and Damien nodded slightly, confirming his suspicions.

'They're coming," Damien spoke softly, a grim worry in his eyes.

"How many know of this?" Kaius asked, his expression alarmed.

"Not many," Damien replied. "But Michael is seeking out those he wishes to lead the others, and it is their due to arrange battalions. I sought you out first, to ask if you will join me."

"Of course," Kaius said without a moment's hesitation. "Through battle I will stand by your side, brother. Always." His eyes burned with a fire Damien had rarely seen in an angel who had yet to be tested as a guardian. His friend's courage gave him strength, and he smiled.

"Then let us prepare. The others will be waiting." Kaius nodded, and Damien moved forward, snapping open his wings to take flight, but Kaius held back.

"Damien," he said, suddenly hesitant. He stood firm and confident, but something in his voice gave away his feelings.

"You worry about the shadows that are coming, brother?" Although Damien would have scorned anyone else for revealing fear, he felt only compassion and understanding. Kaius was the only one who had been brave enough to approach him in his time in Urðr, the great Angel City. The others found his presence distasteful.

"Yes." Kaius said.. Damien was one of the very few guardian angels who had ever fought shadow demons in his lifetime, but unlike Damien, Kaius was not yet a guardian angel and had never left the Angel City, let alone gone to Earth.

"Don't worry," Damien said and smiled. Kaius felt an immediate sense of relief and protection. Damien had always been his best friend and mentor, but occasionally he even felt like an older brother, if angels could have such a thing. Angels did not know family since they did not originate from living vessel. Instead, they were born from the higher power itself. Kaius knew from the scriptures that the role his friend played was that of a protector.

"I have faith in you, Kaius. You've got a good head on your shoulders and you fight well with your sword." his smile faded as he motioned towards Kaius left leg. "Just don't trip or forget your weak spot and you'll do fine." his gaze rested on the scar below his left knee, where Damien had cut him during sparring practice. Although angels heal almost instantaneously, Damien had told him to leave the scar there, so he would remember his weakness that day.

"I won't trip," Kaius said with a laughing smile, then motioned his head to Damien's neck, near his right shoulder. "As long as you protect your neck, we should both come out of this alive." Damien's eyes lit up knowingly and a smile flashed across his face.

Damien rolled his eyes, motioning for him to come along.

"Right, points to you." he scoffed. "Now let's go."

They watched the world before them be taken over by grey clouds stretching across the sky. The sudden flashes of light illuminated the darkness briefly.

Their wings stretched out wide as they flew. Kaius saw all this. He had known the land and the beings in it completely and fully. He would not let it be harmed. This was his home and he would defend it with his life.

* * *

Michael stood before the angels of the Lord, his wings stretched out and his booming voice echoing across the stadium.

"Many of you know what approaches. Good. You will not fight in ignorance. I hear whispers from angels across the land that we are not strong enough, that the force that comes today is a far greater of an opponent than our forces combined. O angels, listen to those words carefully! We have a far greater power than they, for we have faith and confidence; we are a part of the Light! There is nothing we cannot face, therefore, prepare yourself for battle. Garb yourself with shield and armor. Today, we fight, and we fight well. We will wash away the forces of darkness. We will defend the light of our land!"

The angels erupted into cheers. Damien and Kaius stood amongst the crowd. While Kaius sang softly, songs brought forth during times of war, Damien's lips remained still, his eyes focused on the storm. Perhaps some angels would be distracted by the archangel's pretty speech, but he knew what was coming. He looked up to meet Michael's pupil-less eyes and saw him nod. It was time, then.

"Kaius," he said gruffly, shoving his friend's arm. Kaius looked up to his friend, his shadowed eyes now revealing much, his friend gripped his shoulder tighter. "We must win this."

"Whether we will win this is hardly the most important question," Kaius scoffed. Damien's face remained still. After a pause and a heavy intake of breath, Damien said,

"You're right," he nodded. "We should be asking ourselves whether we will survive." he finished.

"Do you doubt it?" Kaius appeared shocked. Damien chuckled, an edge to his laugh. For a moment something dark flashed across his features then was gone so fast it may never have been there at all.

"No, of course not." He said, and then let his hand slip from his shoulder. Kaius watched him go and then turned back his attention to the impending battle in the clouds. He unsheathed his sword, going through the practice motions with some of the others. There was no need to speak. Their minds became immersed in the world of fighting and the skills they would use to defend the city of Urðr.

* * *

The breeze caught Damien's hair, sending it in a whirling mess above his head as he stared out at the city from the ledge of his cavern, kneeling on one knee, looking off into the distance at the sparkling towers as the sunlight hit against their sides. Damien slowly exhaled, trying to relax. Although he lived in the city his cavern was isolated to offer him an escape from the chaos of life. It became the only place he felt truly at peace. With what was coming, peace was a sentiment he dearly needed now.

The sun was an enormous blazing globe, at least ten times larger than Urðr, the angel city, from this distance, and the clouds seemed to swerve with energy as it rose. The movement was exhilarating and Damien breathed deeply, watching the picturesque moment with something that resembled a half-smile.

His eyes were unguarded as he looked over the place in front of him. Watching it, as he had so many times before, he felt a strong sense of being cut off He was apart from them, separated. His world was so different from theirs it was as if there was an invisible glass wall separating the two. Beside him stood Michael, whose gaze shot off in the. It were as if he was taking into account what he possessed.

"When the storm comes, it will flow across the sky, sweeping past the barriers. It will try to destroy us first. Are you ready to face that turmoil?" Michael asked with his flaming sword in hand.

"When shall it happen?" Damien asked, strapping daggers on each side of his hip.

"Soon." Michael's pale eyes narrowed as he looked toward Urðr. "It has almost reached us."

"How many demons?"

"Hundreds." he paused, pursing his lips. On any other face, it would look as if he were whining, but on the archangel's stern face it looked as cold and firm as ever. His white eyes swept over Damien thoughtfully. "Will you join us?"

Damien swallowed. He wondered why he was being asked and not demanded. Maybe because they acknowledge my free will. Ha!

He didn't want to die. This he knew for certain. He could feel it in his blood, in his veins. With each and every beat of his heart he knew he wanted to remain alive, but the whole instinct rebelled against his basic nature—he was an angel. To serve Heaven was his purpose. A battle was coming and he had been called. So why the hesitation?

He stared at the clouds and his heart flickered in fear. His fingertips touched his necklace. He had things to live for. Incomplete missions he swore to finish- an oath to himself that ran much deeper than any innate, programmed loyalty.. If he died, that oath would go unfulfilled. But I am a guardian angel, he thought. I watch out for humanity. If I leave, if I somehow let this happen, who will be the guardians of humanity? He was caught now, and he knew it. He looked up, toward the city once again.

"Yes. I will join you." he said, and his voice sounded harsh and raspy, even to himself.

The flames around Michael's apparition snaked and bit the cold air of the cavern. The archangel's unnerving stare pierced Damien's barriers and saw into the very core of his being. Even so, everything about Michael seemed to inspire courage. His strong stature, his flaming sword and a wingspan of at least twenty feet—he was great to behold, and he inspired complete faith in Damien, gave him purpose. He knew this was part of the archangel's powers. His sword cut away fear.

"In the Lord, put your trust," he said, his voice booming and echoing across the sky, his light intensifying. And then, as if through sympathy, he added in a lower voice,

"Be strong and have courage, fear not, nor be afraid... for the Lord thy God, He in all his glory doth go with thee." And then he was gone, consumed by the flames of his sword like burning parchment. Damien didn't move an inch, finishing his prayer.

Damien was surprised the archangel had paid him a visit. He didn't usually appear in this particular realm of Heaven. It was considered one of the lowliest of levels because here the angels didn't take their true forms. In this realm they took a human form, except their flawlessness and the wings on their back. But that Michael had found it necessary to deliver the message himself bothered him. He was alone in thinking so. The others watched Michael go among them and cheered.

Rain began to hit the stones and the entrance to the cavern, the sound echoed off the walls. Electricity could be seen running through the clouds like thin, disjointed wires. Damien could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand upright; feeling the shocks as if it were in his mouth. Something was closing in over the horizon. The clouds had drifted further toward the city slowly cutting off the light over the area.

Damien paced back and forth, sliding his finger tips against the sides of his cave. If this battle were to occur, it would be the first in centuries—perhaps even in the city's entire history. Demons had never broken through the barrier. He knew that if they broke through into this dimension, his peaceful home would be gone. Damien grimaced. He knew there were worse things than death. Spreading his wings, he took to the sky and launched himself into the growing darkness.

The image of Michael still burned beneath his lids and chased away his fears like a sword cutting through black mist. Whether it was a blessing or a curse he didn't yet know. What he did know was the gravity of the situation. The fact that Michael was here and that he had spoken to him, Damien, a lowly guardian angel, meant that he needed every being capable of fighting. But the fact that he had asked him instead of simply demanding it…was it respect? Damien feared that the archangel had not only been sending him to war, but sending him to his death.

It was midday, and while the sun should have been at its peak and casting its glow onto the world, the darkness had now consumed heaven, leaving a semblance of night. With no moon to give the angels comfort, there was the clear disturbance of fear. Kaius watched the sky with deep scrutiny. Damien had left quickly, thinking that he had escaped his friend's notice. He's still caught in his own illusions of subtlety. It wasn't the first time Damien had tried to escape his notice, or the first time he had failed.

He placed a golden helmet on his head.

Higher ranking angels almost never revealed their presence unless there was something important enough to intrigue God, so he knew this battle was big. And for Michael to speak with Damien…this was something. Kaius had used his powers to slip into the conversation they had been having in Damien's cavern, and had thus heard all that had been said. Few months had gone by since Kaius had promised his friend not to spy on him this way, but Kaius worried for his safety and was curious about why Damien had snuck off. In his mind's eye, he saw him fly out of his cave.

He secured his steel gauntlets tightly, until he could feel it almost cutting into his skin. Throughout his entire existence Damien had been rejected by most of the angels, as if he were tainted...and in some ways Kaius supposed he was. But such things can be overcome. He shook his head at the very thought of their ignorance. It revealed their lack of faith.

A blinding flash of lightning lit the sky and a massive explosion sent Kaius to his knees, his arms protecting his face. He sensed a presence within the explosion, heard its wrathful cry. A single word screamed in his mind.

* * *

Damien!

Air rushed over him with a blinding force as he was sent slamming to the ground, passing over him crushingly and hitting the rest of his world in a terrible force.

The demons had come.

Damien's breath was shaky as he slowly scanned his surroundings. He'd been thrown from the sky after his brief sortie. He had left his cavern too late to rejoin his brothers in the city, too late to beat the oncoming tide of demons who had prevented him from reaching past more than twenty feet from his cavern. He had smashed into the ground hard enough to break several ribs and he had been cut very nearly to pieces. Angels healed fast but the more damage they took the harder it was on their bodies to heal and the slower they became. His fingers twitched uncertainly, not trusting whatever was out there.

He watched painstakingly, as if events had slowed down for this tragic time. Urðr crumbled before his eyes, its structures falling apart piece by piece and then turning to dust as shadowy forms danced amidst the ruins of the once magnificent city. From this distance, he could not see the dead, but he could sense the count was numerous. Where was Kaius? His muscles were tense and he held his breath and waited. Damien stood up, breathing in, his dark brown eyes giving nothing away.

Silence hung heavily over the land that was, just minutes before, consumed with mind-breaking noise. The only thing that could be heard was his unstable breaths. There he stood, a lone angel, small before the disaster in front of him, his wings arched behind his back. He rested one hand against the entrance as he contemplated Urðr, his gaze searching for any sigh of life, for any sign of Kaius.

"Please...don't be dead, my friend." He whispered as his eyes flicked over the city.

And then another deafening blow came from the sky, hitting Urðr dead center with an agonizingly loud crash, echoing through the sky and sending Damien flying to the ground. If he yelled out in pain, he couldn't tell; the only thing he could hear was the deafening ringing in his ears.

Though it was only seconds, it felt like ages, Damien regained feeling in his body and felt his neck straining with the ferocity of his scream. He felt a tearing sensation in the middle of his chest and spat out more blood. He hurt everywhere as he struggled back to his feet and positioned himself to lean against the wall, grabbing his knives and thrusting them into his belt pockets, hidden under his shirt.

Damien couldn't stay here; they were after him, and if they got him dying would be a comfort. They would possess him, torture him…as his thoughts strayed, his eyes darkened as pitch black as the sky outside. He had to leave NOW! He rushed towards the outside of his cave, feeling adrenaline pump through his veins as his granted him the speed and power to flee. Unfortunately the damage was too severe and he ran five steps before the pain forced him to collapse on the ground clutching his middle. He needed to heal, and he couldn't put it off anymore. Broken, exhausted, lying on the ground panting Damien realized he had fallen right into the enemy's trap.

The noise in the sky was deafening, and it became louder and louder. He could see the movement in the cloud getting closer until finally a streak shot out, heading straight for him. Desperately trying to stand up, Damien lurched to the side just as lightning, black as the night sky, crackled and slammed into the ground where he had been moments before. Lightning flashed all around him as he once again plunged into the cloud cover.

So that's their plan; strike me out of the sky, he thought, and sped up until the world around him was a blur. Damien swerved and ducked, twisting in the air and plummeting at an impossible speed to escape the lightning. He could see Urðr, not so far away now, the details of the tower now coming into view, but the world around him was such a blur. It had been leveled, the destruction of the proud castle was complete and the many of the structures were gone. A new kind of pain flowed through him at the sight as he mourned for the inhabitants, but there was nothing he could do for them now except fight or die with them, and so he let his concern for them go and concentrated on the tasks at hand.

Soon his shirt was torn and soaked with rain. He knew that if he kept flying his body would be cut into ribbons. He was losing a lot of blood. The weakness that tore through him before his flight seemed so much worse now, and he was demanding nearly impossible effort from his body. But he couldn't die; he wouldn't let himself.

A dark thought entered his mind: whatever was out there, it was after the city and his people. But were really worth risking his life? The angels who had shunned him his entire existence, who had never seen anything good in him: were they worth dying for? He had vowed to himself to become a guardian angel, a protector of angels and mortals alike…but now when he was faced with his own death Damien began to wonder, but didn't hesitate. He flew on.

"Damien, really." Damien's heart almost froze. That voice…it was a voice of a demon; smooth and mocking. But how did it know his name? He gripped his hands into a fist listening as the voice resonated into the empty space, the voice clearly diminishing him by addressing him as if he were a young child. He didn't bother ask who it was.

Damien gathered his fading strength and following the voice once again he took to the air. "Come out, demon!" He yelled into the abyss of blackness that covered the sky. "Fight me, coward! I will avenge the city of Urðr and its people on to you and all your kind!" Slowly, he drew his two daggers out and in front of the shadows they glowed with an inner white light.

* * *

Kaius woke, immediately trying to get to his feet, his eyes unseeing and his head throbbing.

He had only been unconscious for a few moments, but it was a few moments too long. When his sight returned to him he wished it hadn't. The demons did not appear in corporeal form, but as mist—black, twirling mist like flowing ink. It was hard to see through the engulfing night onto what remained of the great city of Urðr. Now it was lit mostly by the shining blades of angels and their light.

Around him the few angels left twirled with their swords, stabbing and destroying demons with their light, their slender bodies coupled with their broad wings and brilliant blades dancing through the city like stars flowing across the darkness of night. But no matter how hard they fought, the angels fell one after another to the demon's might.

Kaius blinked, lost in the fabric of time. But he had found his place and ripped his sword from the ground nearby, where it had been torn from his grasp when the explosion hit the city. In a yell meant to send praise, his eyes alight, he charged for the incoming demon that seemed to form out of the black mist in front of him.

The angel silently swung his sword toward it, and for a moment his blade seemed to hang in the air. Time seemed to slow down, and then almost too quickly to notice it passed through the demon, killing it instantly. Suddenly, Kaius sensed a presence in the sky above him. Another explosion erupted above the city, only this one was worse than all the others before it. It sounded as if the fabric of their world itself had been torn open even further, allowing even more demons to pour through. From where do they pull their strength? Kaius wondered. It is impossible for so many angels to be defeated by such a small force of demons! They must have a leader...but who is it?

Somewhere, up above, there had been an encounter with a powerful dark force, and then he heard the scream.

Damien hit the ground again and rolled face first to a stop. His fight was over he could do no more and he knew it. His left arm was broken and he had lost the dagger in that hand somewhere during the fight. One of his ribs had punctured his left lung and he couldn't stop coughing up blood, but worst of all the last blast he had tried to block, the one that had broken his arm, had blown his wings apart. Tears dropped from his eyes as the thought of loss began to sink in.

"You can't protect anyone, Damien. Look around you and see how you've failed yet again" The voice mocked, booming this time, filled with a shocking amount of power. "The only one you can really protect is yourself, if you run, now." Laughter shook the sky, "But still I will follow you, and I will find you, wherever you run. I can see the innermost secrets of your heart, Damien, the blackness of your soul. It follows you like a black ribbon attached to your neck, ragged, for everyone to see. It is something you cannot escape. I will find you."

He looked up then and when he did his eyes met with those of a demon. It was only a few feet away from him, hanging in the air, almost invisible. Despair was like a crushing weight against his chest. There would be no warning for the other cities. When the demons were through here they would storm heaven and the host would die by the thousands.

He put his hand out and leaned all his weight against it, throbbing pain shot through his forearm to his wrist as he pushed himself up. Blood and sweat dripped down from his hair into his face and eyes making it hard to see.

Trying to stand tall Damien gritted his teeth. He had nothing left. His dagger, one half of the pair he had named Armageddon so long ago, dangled from his hand, useless. Faded to a dull glimmer, barely reminiscent of its former glory. The demon snarled and, Damien could tell by the sound that it had been angered by the sight.

The demon sped forward with blinding speed crashing into him, and a clawed hand shot out from the inky blackness grabbing Damien around the throat and lifting him into the air. Power scythed through the demons arm sending shocks raging through Damien's body. He couldn't breathe! The dagger fell to the ground out of his nerveless fingers and he heard it clang against a rock. His lungs screamed for air and he clawed desperately at the hand at his throat but it was futile. He kicked and he squirmed but the hand clenched tighter. He tried to scream but no air would move through his body. Finally, darkness took him. When the demon dropped him at last, Damien fell to the ground, never to rise again.

Turning to look past the broken pieces of his city Kaius knew who the cry had belonged to,

"Damien" he whispered aloud.

Looking around himself Kaius could see only destruction, rubble was strewn about the streets and shadows danced from blazing flames. The city had fallen, and the armies of God had lost. He had been making his way through the wreckage toward the west wall where he prayed he would find Damien still alive. The demonic attacks had died down as the last defenders of Urðr either perished or fled. His armor, once bright and clean, was dulled and battered. He kept his wings tight to his body to disguise his shadow. Slowly, he crept towards the outer wall now in view, toward the location of where he hoped to find Damien. Kaius had promised he would fight by friend's side, but he knew he couldn't keep that promise now. The best he could hope for was to get them away from Urðr to join up and regroup with the others.

Kaius slipped through the nearest gap, an enormous tear twenty feet in diameter, and there he saw his friend from a distance, lying lifeless on the ground, his head tilted to the side as arrows stuck out of his chest. A demon stood over him, clawed hand still raised in the air, and Kaius could feel his heart begin to beat faster. The entire scene seemed to be clouded in a fog and Kaius heard a scream of fear and rage. Pain burned his throat and he realized the sound had come from him. Surprised, the demon whirled around to face the charging angel just in time to have Kaius bury his blade in the inky blackness that made up its body. Its clawed hand slammed into the side of Kaius' head sending him sprawling across the ground. His head was ringing and he couldn't believe the power of the blow. Rising to his feet, he looked up to see another clawed hand come from the blackness and grasp the hilt of his sword and draw it out of its body. The blade came out stained black. The demon dropped it to the ground.

"Really," it hissed at him, "is that the best you can do?"

Kaius stared back into the dark form in front of him, using his powers to pierce its core. Any logic would have told Kaius to run, for he was clearly outmatched. It had defeated Damien, his superior, and Kaius didn't stand a chance. But was a very different day. His mind clouded with rage. He stepped forward to meet the demon head on. That was a mistake. It swung one arm high, talons reaching out to rake across his face. Kaius tried to block but it was a feint and the other arm shot out and smashed into his chest. His armor crumpled and he felt the talons puncture his chest. He tried to swing his fist into the demons face but it caught his arm contemptuously and using brute strength it smashed him into the ground. The breath left his body in a rush and he knew he had badly misjudged the situation. He could sense demon's intent and thought all was lost, but suddenly a crack of lighting lit the sky and it looked up. Kaius seized the opportunity and using all his remaining strength he focused the grace given to him by heaven and released it in a blast of pure white light. It smashed into the demon and flickered around the dark shape. For a moment Kaius was sure it would fail but then the blackness faded and was gone.

He scrambled over to Damien,

"Damien!" Kaius called, but his friend didn't hear him.

He tried to reach out with his senses but he was tired and hurt, and with everything around him ravaged he could feel nothing at first, so he delved deeper. His brow furrowed in concentration but he found it, a small touch of life deep inside of his friend. Small, and getting smaller, ebbing away from him, like a weak shadow flowing into the cracks of the earth. Kaius drew on what remained of his own quickly fading strength and concentrated on trying to bring it back from the darkness.

"Damien, damn you...help me!" Kaius spoke aloud "Don't give up, I'm here. DAMIEN!" Kaius breathed his friend's name, his entire body shook with the effort of bringing him back.

His friend's eyes opened, his pupils searching and he rasped a breath, but it was slow and shaky, and very, very weak, but he focused on his friend and spoke.

"Kaius," he said, his voice sounding choked. Damien reached up, grabbing Kaius' hand tightly, the now tattered armor on his arms shifting as he moved. "GO!"

Kaius shook his head as he looked into the eyes of his dying friend, tears streamed down his own face. Damien's eyes, they shone with determination just as strong as before, black and serious. But it didn't last for long; he grimaced as the pain became intolerable, looking like the ghost of what he had once been.

"Go," Damien said again, blooding dripping from his mouth. Kaius' eyes widened as he heard the order, noticing for the first time the pieces carved out of his armor and leaving nothing but gaping wounds sticking out of his chest, his legs, and his shoulders.

"I can't leave you," Kaius said adamantly, wiping at his face, trying to stay calm. He knew he would be dead too if he stayed in Urðr, but he couldn't leave his friend, not here, not like this.

"You have to get out of here," his dying friend urged, smothering a yell as his chest heaved off the ground. Kaius clenched his as he watched helplessly. And then he understood. Something was possessing Damien and tearing apart his soul.

Kaius closed his eyes, and did the only thing he could think. He began a prayer to God: Please, Lord, in Your name I beg of you. Let your servant go to his rest in peace. Keep him sheltered in your light, and prevent the darkness from taking him this day, and all the days forever and ever to the end of time. Kaius finished his prayer and then added Please don't take him Father. Leave him...he does not deserve this death. I would take it upon myself a thousand times if you could but end his suffering. But despite his words, he could still feel the taint inside him. Damien's body was still dying.

Kaius felt something then that he'd never felt before: Alone. God would not answer his prayers. God wasn't the one taking him.

Damien muttered words, his voice hoarse and torn. Slowly, he reached for the locket around his neck, ripping it off with surprising strength. He held it out for Kaius to take, his hand tainted with blood, his fingers torn. Kaius took it, holding it tightly.

"This locket belongs to a mortal girl I swore to protect. I need you to carry out that job for me now."

"Don't," Kaius protested faintly. Damien seemed not hear him or his stubborn nature was still pulling through, even in death.

"Swear you'll protect her." Damien's eyes tore into Kaius. "Swear it!"

"I swear," Kaius stuttered

But Damien's eyes held him trapped and he felt grief settle on him "I swear before God, by my life and light, I will protect the one named by the Angel Damien," Kaius bent close then and Damien spoke her name.

"So be it," Damien finished. It seemed as though some kind of weight had been lifted from his shoulders, but then he gasped and pain struck his body. Howling, his grasping fingers dug furrows in the ground.

Kaius blinked and gasped "Damien, what have you done?" He could feel the weight of the vow as it settled on him, binding his will. Things seemed to begin to move faster around Kaius now; he could feel the demons approaching once again, now aware of his presence.

Damien didn't answer him either. He just stared endlessly at the sky, his eyes black and glistening. Then suddenly he jerked upward as if something were pulling him by the chest and the rest of his body followed limply.

"Go—" Damien screamed through the clenched teeth, his voice contorted into the sound of a demon, a deep echo in the back of his mind. "Go! Kaius...go..."

"Goodbye my friend," Kaius wept as he rose, and began running not looking back over his shoulder. The demons had arrived. He didn't look at the friend he was abandoning; he couldn't. He didn't see the last light of life leave his friends eyes.

There, on a blasted landscape, surrounded by devastation, with darkness and demons as the only witnesses, and no one to mourn his passing, the Guardian Angel known as Damien breathed his last breath and died.

Kaius' eyes looked down to his city one last time once he was a safe distance away, watching the towers crumble and angels fall from the sky, others rising up to battle. The vast valleys in the distance were full now, the mountains crashing down, and the sky full of cries and light. He grasped the locket tightly in his hand and hoped that the archangels would be powerful, and willing, enough to save his world.

The last thing he saw was Damien, limp on the ground and he wished he could have saved him.

And then there was an explosion, Kaius heard Damien's screams—and he fell through a blinding white light and into the mortal world.


End file.
